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ICE arrests 297 criminals, immigration fugitives in midwest

One person convicted of sexual battery arrested in Topeka

Nearly 300 criminal aliens, fugitives and other immigration violators were arrested in six midwestern states, including Kansas, during a month-long operation conducted by officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations.

Operation Cross Check, which began May 18 and concluded Saturday, is the latest effort by ICE to prioritize the removal of criminal aliens and egregious immigration violators.

Arrests were made in the following six states: Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Kansas and Missouri. The 287 men and 10 women arrested are from 29 countries.

ICE officers made 47 arrests in the Kansas City area during the operation. The majority of those arrested, or 45, were convicted criminals. Eight of the 47 were immigration fugitives and 23 were previously deported from the United States. The 46 men and one woman are from the following countries: Mexico (36), Honduras (4), Guatemala (2) and one each from, China, Venezuela, Micronesia, El Salvador and Columbia.

A 23-year-old Venezuelan national with a prior conviction for sexual battery was arrested June 10 in Topeka and remains in ICE custody pending a hearing before an immigration judge.

A 26-year-old Mexican national previously convicted of domestic assault was arrested May 18 in Kansas City, Mo., and remains in ICE custody pending deportation.

Of the 297 individuals arrested, 233 were criminal aliens whose convictions include: domestic abuse, arson, aggravated assault, battery, burglary, solicitation of a child enticement, weapons possession, aggravated battery of a child, sexual assault of a minor and aggravated criminal sexual assault. Those arrested include 56 immigration fugitives who have outstanding deportation orders and 81 previously deported aliens, five of whom face federal prosecution for illegally re-entering the United States after deportation.

“The arrest and removal of criminal aliens has an immediate and tangible impact on our communities,” said Ricardo Wong, field office director for ERO Chicago. “By focusing our resources on the most egregious offenders, we ensure the very best use of our resources while immediately improving public safety in our neighborhoods.”

In fiscal year 2013, ICE conducted 368,644 removals nationwide. Eighty-two percent of individuals removed from the interior of the United States had previously been convicted of a criminal offense.